


The Devil's Dance Floor

by IdrissPukka



Category: The Walking Dead & Related Fandoms
Genre: F/F, F/M, Gen, I've no idea how to tag, M/M, Multi, No relationship as of yet, OFC characters - Freeform, hopefully a smart OFC that's not a mary sue
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-02
Updated: 2019-12-30
Packaged: 2020-10-09 03:50:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,747
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20486684
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IdrissPukka/pseuds/IdrissPukka





	1. Chapter 1

_ Nora didn’t mind the silence, there was never a pressing need to fill the empty air around her with noise. She could count on one hand the number of actual words she had spoken in any given day, but it would have been a pointless endeavor. Nora had better things to do with her time. _

It was a delicate balance of risk versus reward Nora walked by staying near enough to Atlanta’s city limits and the small forest just outside the industrial district of said city. The 5’7” Kentucky native did have easier access to more of the non-scavenged stores, but those items she found were less desired for a reason. The small forest was better at supplying fresher food and water, but it always took longer and longer to restock her supplies in the small deer blinds she was using to hold her hoard. What Nora really needed was a storage van of some sort, that way she could stock more supplies and have actual rest days.

The only flaw in her plan was that most, if not all, the vans that could fit her needs had no fuel or missing keys. Nora wasn’t sure which rental office even held the keys to certain vans or if fuel had an expiration date. She could systematically search each business, but as just one person that would take too much of her time that she needed for other things.

As it was, just being alone was both a hindrance and a blessing. Nora could avoid the pressure and struggles that came with trying to lead a group, but she was alone and could only do so much during the day. Once the sun went down and true night came about, she was in another of her deer blinds staying silent as a church mouse.

As it was, it had been weeks before Nora even thought of talking to another survivor. It was nearing mid morning when she heard the engine of a small car approach. Before she had always hid when she heard any sort of vehicle, it wasn’t just the Undead that a person had to fear these days. It was only watching the little red four door Toyota drive down the track before starting to slow to a stop that Nora relaxed slightly. The driver of the Toyota was the young Asian kid she had seen around before. Nora noted that the kid had come to scavenger supplies every three days and was always alone. To scavenge that many supplies that often, Nora figured that the kid belonged to a group, probably up at the old quarry.

Nora hadn’t thought to approach the kid before, Nora’s last interaction with another living person didn’t go well, but he needed to know that the city was extra dangerous today and will probably be more dangerous for the next couple days. As the little red car slowed down to a stop just before a chain link fence that separated a parking lot from the beginning of the forest Nora started running from her hiding spot and waving her arms. It seemed to be enough to grab the guy’s attention because he quickly braked to a stop. Barely breathing heavy after her fast sprint, Nora waited until the kid either exited the car or rolled down the window. While she waited Nora kept a close eye on the parking area behind her, this close to the city Walkers can come up on a person fast. While it currently looked Walker free, Nora was always cautious.

“Um, like you need anything?” the kid asked as he opened the door to climb out. Dressed in jeans, a t-shirt and a plaid flannel overshirt with the sleeves rolled up, he looked like any other fresh faced baby college student Nora had ever seen. All of a sudden she felt old, and she was only 35.

“Don’t go into the city, not today. Probably not tomorrow either,” Nora answered. She didn’t offer anything else, didn’t feel the need to as it should be common sense to listen to a warning about a cannibalistic, undead infested city. With a nod toward the kid Nora turned around to jog back to her shelter in the trees. It wasn’t much, but the multiple deer blinds Nora had assembled and attached to the strongest trees held her supplies of dried meats, fruit leather, dried fruit, water, canned goods as well as other non food related supplies.

Halfway across the road between where the car stopped and the start of the forest proper, Nora could hear the kid run to catch up with her. She sighed knowing that to get rid of the kid she would have to give more of an explanation than what she had already, but she didn’t want to.

“Um, yeah see that’s not going to work. I mean I’ve got a group and they need the stuff I bring back for them. Atlanta’s all I got to work with,” the kid says as he catches up with her and the pair stopped to stand facing each other.

“And you can. Just not today, or tomorrow. Waiting ain’t gonna kill ya,” Nora replied with a huff. If the kid’s group was in the woods near the quarry like she thought then they would be fine. There was fish in the quarry for food and she thought there was a freshwater spring with a spout open to the public they should be using to stay hydrated. If a few of them had the knowledge to hunt for edible plants and mushrooms then that was just a bonus.

“But why? I mean, do you know or do you just not want me to go in? Because I’ve got to tell them something when I go back, especially to Shane,” the kid answered back, and really it was an intelligent question. A person should never just take an answer as the correct one without something to back it up.

Nora scanned her surroundings. Even if they were being relatively quiet, Walkers could still appear like magic. She could make up some bullshit excuse, but that would just lead to the kid ignoring her and going anyway. He was being fairly decent and Nora didn’t care to have his death on her conscience anyway. Nodding her head back to her camp, Nora motioned for the kid to follow.

“C’mon, we’ll get out of the open and talk. You need a meal kid, looks like a stiff wind’d bowl you over.”

A fire was already burning, heating up the cast iron dutch oven that was being suspended over it. As Nora checked the oil in the oven she began to mix her version of bubble and squeak, a popular meal constructed of leftovers in Britain. Her bubble and squeak consisted of instant mashed potatoes, corn, dried chives, dried minced onions, red pepper flakes, and some of the leftover grilled rabbit meat from the day before. Everything was mixed together and formed into patties that was then fried in the little bit of oil Nora was heating over the fire. 

“Nice set up,” the kid said commented after walking around the small clearing peering at her little camp. Nora figured that at some point she needed to get his name and nodded her agreement. It wasn’t much, but it was enough for her.

After mixing the patties and dropping them into the waiting oil Nora motioned to a waiting log for the kid to sit. “Earlier today I heard gunfire in the city. Usually when that happens the Walkers are more agitated, harder to slip by without them catching you. If you go in today, I doubt you will come out alive.”

“Was it a group?” the kid asked, starting to look pale underneath his tan. His hands clenched together, and Nora knew that she didn’t need to explain anymore and what could have happened.

“I don’t know. Usually if it’s a group it’s because they tried to take what didn’t belong to them. If it was a person, chances are they got spooked and fired. What do you need that you have to scavenge today?” Nora asked as she flipped the patties over, grinning as they bubbled but didn’t squeak as they should have if she had cabbage to mix in.

The kid looked down and mumbled something. Whatever it was Nora knew it would be embarrassing, so probably female specific products, which yeah even before the outbreak she supposed men were going to turn red while getting those things.

“What was that lad? I didn’t quite catch it,” Nora grinned, it felt nice to tease a person just like she would have before all this dead eating people mess.

“Laundry Soap!” the kid answered with a snap, face flushed with the realization that he would have almost died for laundry supplies, that while welcomed weren’t necessary for survival.

Nora waited a moment for the kid to continue on, but nope laundry detergent was it apparently. “Your people are idiots,” she said in the silence that followed the kid’s outburst, “and these are done. Hand me two of those plates over and I’ll dish up lunch.”

There was enough for two of the patties each, and while slightly bland, it was hot and filling and Nora thought at one point the kid would choke as he shoveled the food down. As the kid finished eating Nora handed over a small bag of dried fruit for dessert. If the way the kid had eaten was any indication then the group he must belong to was rather large, and finding food for that many people was a difficult task to achieve.

The kid eventually slowed down and began to savor the dried fruit. It was clear that anything even remotely sweet had been hard to come by, and Nora was beginning to suspect that this group was made up of imbeciles. Thinking over her mental checklist of supplies, Nora knew she had a few things she could part with. When it looked like the kid was finished she would bring it up with him. It could be that between the two of them, Nora could set up a trade for fresh fish. Rabbit, squirrel, and whatever bird she managed to bring down was getting old as her only source of protein.

“They’re not...not idiots,” the kid began quietly, “it’s just I’m the only one making runs into the city. We have guys, a pair of brothers, that bring back game, but there’s so many of us. And I think not a lot trust the brothers, so they don’t like to thank them for it so the brothers don’t try as hard the next time.”

“That is a shitty thing to do kid,” Nora replied while passing over a warmish bottle of Angry Orchard Red Apple Ale. Not one of her favorite tastes ever, but serious shit usually needs to have some form of alcohol and this is all she had at the moment. “I don’t know who the leader of your group is, but they need to actually lead. Sending out a one man supply runner is a recipe for disaster, and pissing off the people that feed you is the same. I’ve got things I can part with, but I’ll need to talk to your leader so we can work it out. I don’t need the group to agree, just him because that’s what a leader does. They make the decisions no one else has the balls to make.”

“I can talk to Shane, see if he can come back with me tomorrow or the day after, and the name’s Glenn, not that you asked,” the kid, no Glenn, answers after taking a deep pull of the ale.

“Nora, and bring this Shane by the day after, just him and you. Any more’n that and I’ll leave,” Nora replied. Seeing that Glenn was done with his drink she motioned for him to follow as she walked to one of the deer blinds she was using for storage. Climbing the short ladder and handing down a rather large container of powder to Glenn followed by two one half gallon jars filled with soup was a simple. “The powder is a laundry detergent I made, should last for several months. Everything else is a vegetable soup with corned beef. These should get your leader Shane to agree with a meetup.”

“You don’t have to do this. I mean, it’d help, like a lot but,” Glenn started to say before Nora placed her hand over his mouth.

“Just smile, nod and accept it. I’ve got smaller quart jars of soup and more than enough laundry soap for me. You carry the soup, I’ll get the detergent and then you can go back to your group without being empty handed okay?” Nora said before leading the way back to the red Toyota.

The pair walked toward the car, each keeping an eye out for Walkers. Seeing none, Glenn put his haul in the backseat floorboard and rounded the trunk to slip into the driver’s seat. “Thank Nora, and I’ll bring Shane in two days. I’ll see ya then.”

“See ya kid, stay safe,” Nora said with a wave and backed away to allow Glenn space to turn around. Nora watched the little red Toyota drive back up the track until the car disappeared from view before going back to her camp to clean up. The fire needed to be banked until it was time to make an evening meal, and the dutch oven needed to be wiped out. Nora also needed to make a list of supplies she had in excess that should could use as a possible trade. It was going to be a hard day, with all the things she needed to do, but it would be a good day as well. Meeting Glenn might just be a blessing.


	2. Chapter 2

Early morning in the woods made it easy to forget the cannibalistic monsters, that used to be people, could be hiding in the trees to eat you. The dew glistened on the still green leaves while a slight fog shrouded the world around him. Shane Walsh, former deputy in the Kings County Sheriff Department, could imagine waking up and looking out onto the same view from his covered porch that sits just off the kitchen with a cup of coffee in his hand before going into work if it had been just a few months ago. 

If it had just been a few months ago he wouldn’t be just getting off a shift of night watch, eyes straining to see into the thick blackness for grotesque faces and grasping hands. If it had just been a few months ago he wouldn’t be holding grief inside like his momma’s Russian Nesting Dolls, packing the tears and pain into smaller and smaller forms just to allow himself to breath when he looks upon the wife and son of his best friend, his brother. If it was just a few months ago, he wouldn’t have to worry about food, medicine, clothing, and clean water for twenty people, including five children. Shane never wanted this level of responsibility and wasn’t actually sure of how he came to be in the role of leadership for their little group at the quarry, but he’d do the best he could with what he had. It wasn’t in him to just roll over and take it when life got hard.

With a nod to Dale, who was coming for his shift of watching for monsters in the woods, Shane headed away from the center of camp. He needed time away; away from the constant staring and silent questions he could see in their scared eyes always asking why he couldn’t do more, why this was happening to them. It was worse when Lori would turn her brown eyes toward him and make some snide comment about his leadership skills and in the next breath attempt to lead him into the woods for a little stress relief. He loved her, he did, but it was always with the understanding that Lori belonged to his brother, to Rick, just as much as Rick belonged to Lori. Over the years, Shane had learned to tramp down the wanting, learned to be happy just being a close family friend and he couldn’t really see breaking that with Rick only being (possibly, probably) gone for just over a month.

Their camp at the quarry wasn’t much, but there was semi-fresh water, easy access to the forest for live game and wild edible plants and mushrooms, and access into Atlanta wasn’t as heavily blocked by ingoing or outgoing traffic. It was the best that Shane could do at the time everyone around them was beginning to panic as they sat in traffic and listened to the radio announce which of the military checkpoints and safe zones were being overrun. It was just them in the beginning, but Dale and the sisters joined, Andrea and Amy, followed by the Peletier’s, the Morales’ family, and after that people and families just showed up. Even with the twenty or so adults that made up the bulk of the survivors at the quarry, only a handful were willing to scavenge for supplies, or in the case of the Dixon brothers, were capable of bringing home fresh game. Even Andrea and her sister Amy was overheard several times talking about the fishing trips their father would take them on during the summer when they were younger, but not once did they offer to put their apparent skills toward feeding the group. It was at Lori’s insistence that she be the one to interact with the other females of the group, and the stubborn woman wouldn't budge on refusing to actually demand the blonde sisters to do more to help out instead of keeping the clothes clean. Important but only for keeping up morale.

As it was today was going to be different. They needed more people beside the Dixon’s and Glenn Rhee to find food and supplies. While it may be high summer now, Autumn and then Winter would soon be coming and while Georgia didn’t see that much snow it was still damn cold and flimsy tents made a piss poor shelter in winter temperatures. After what passed for breakfast Shane was fully prepared to do anything he had to to get more people going after supplies. Even if just a couple went with Rhee into the city it would make a whole fucking world of difference in their survival. It was with this thought that Shane turned back toward camp.

It was while Shane was still hidden by the densely packed trees that he heard a noise off to the left of camp. It was possibly a deer, but this close to Carl and the other kids Shane could see finishing their breakfast, he didn’t want to take any chances and moved on silent feet toward the noise. He circled around where he thought the noise came from, hoping that it wasn’t a walker, when he caught a flash of long brown hair through the tree branches. Raising the shotgun he held in his hands, he prepared to use the butt to hopefully do the walker in, when he heard it, a faint whisper.

“Shane! Shane! Where are you?” Lori whispered while trying to keep out of sight of the camp. She must have come looking for him soon after Dale took up his own watch atop of the RV. Shane sighed and mentally cursed, he didn’t want to have to deal with her this early in the day, but if he didn’t Lori would give him hell in that passive aggressive way she’s used on Rick when they were fighting.

“Goddammit Lori! I could have killed you! What’n the hell you doing away from camp?” Shane asked, barely loud enough to be heard and he was standing beside Lori.

She didn’t answer right away, but leaned more into Shane’s space and placed her hand on his arm, fingers slowly stroking the skin she found that was uncovered by the rolled up shirt sleeves. Shane had noticed that she was doing that more and more, and paired with the outright blanent offers for ‘stress relief’ in the trees it was obvious what she was after.

“I brought you some coffee but Dale said you were out here,” Lori said with what was supposed to be a secret smile Shane thought “you could have waited for me.”

Stepping back to put more space between them, Shane looked around, always checking for hidden dangers. It wasn’t unusual for a two-man patrol to walk a couple feet into the woods around the camp, but since the month they’ve been at the quarry Lori had never volunteered to be a part of that. Usually she surrounded herself with the other ladies of the camp and attempted to bring some kind of normalcy to the group.

“Just takin’’ a look see, Lori. No reason to worry. Whadcha need me for that couldn’t wait?” Shane asked as he sipped from the barely hot cup of instant coffee that was way to strong, but it was something from ‘before’ so he put up with the instant coffee jet fuel.

With an obvious push back toward camp, Shane led Lori away from the surrounding woods. He would need to get the other men, and possibly Andrea and her sister, together for a meeting before the heat of the day made everyone’s tempters frayed and easier to anger. With twenty survivors in the group, it should be easier to feed and supply everyone with what the need, but as it stands right now it was just barely enough for everyday survival. Shane’s training with FEMA and CERT would be a boon if only he could get everyone on the same page.

“Shane, stop. Let’s just stay here for a minute,” Lori said as she attempted to pull away. Shane wasn’t sure why she chose now to want to be in the woods when before she barely walked to where the latrines were, but he stopped anyway.

“What ya need Lori? Something wrong with Carl?” Shane asked, talking another sip of the highly caffeinated jet fuel. They weren’t that far away from the main body of the camp, so he didn’t concern himself with keeping a weather eye on his surroundings. He noticed that Lori began to fidget and when he turned back toward her he was surprised when she grabbed him shirt and pulled him into a kiss.

For just a second it was all Shane had wanted, with Lori pliant and warm in his arms and wanting him just as he wanted her since he saw her at the beginning of his sophomore year at the opening pep rally for baseball and she was a freshman cheerleader. The soft thud of the coffee mug dropping into the leaf litter on the forest floor went unnoticed as Shane wrapped his arms around Lori’s trim waist, pulling her tightly against him.

It was only after Shane broke the kiss that he questioned why Lori kissed him at all. She had made thinly veiled comments before, about finding stress relief away from the camp in the woods, but Shane ignored those comments. Just like he ignored the small snide comments Lori had made when he made a decision that she disagreed with. He wanted genuine affection, not a few moments of where Lori used him to forget all the bad shit that happened lately.

“What are you really wantin’ Lori? Last I checked you’re still married to my best friend, end of the fuckin’ world or not,” Shane whispered into Lori’s ear before pulling away and facing the brunette woman. He never liked being dicked around on and refused to play whatever game Lori wanted. 

Turning away from him, Lori had wrapped her arms tight around her middle, seeming to hold herself together from shaking apart. “I just wanted to feel, for one little moment that everything was normal. I wanted to feel safe,” Lori answered in a whisper, her voice catching on a sob before covering her mouth to hold in the noise. Tears had gathered in the corners of her eyes before slowly falling down, creating silver trails down her face.

“I promised Rick before leaving his hospital room that I’d do that, keep you and Carl safe. You don’t have to buy that protection like some back alley whore, Lori, and you know that,” Shane answered with his own whisper, anger rasping his voice at the thought of being used “I know. I know that you know I’ve wanted you, but I’ve never acted on it because of my respect for Rick and I thought the same of you. Why now?”

Anger now made Lori’s hazel eyes flash as she turned fully to face him, Shane thought he had never seen them prettier, but he didn’t give voice to his thoughts. It was one thing to acknowledge how he felt, but to actually say or do anything about it wasn’t something he was prepared to do.

“You bastard!” Lori yelled as loud as she dared, stepping close with a hand raised slightly, like she would hit him. “You fuckin’ bastard, you have no right…”

“I have every goddamn right! It’s been seven weeks, Lori, since Rick was shot and I left him in that hospital as the evac orders came through,” Shane hissed even as he grabbed Lori’s rising hand by the wrist to hold it still, “Seven weeks and until I see his body, he’s still alive. So don’t tell me what right I have or not to question his wife on her behavior!

Whatever little game you think you’re playing is a bust. In a heartbeat Lori, I’d make you mine, but not with Rick still alive and you know that. I’m headed to camp, what you do I don’t care.” Shane said before leaving Lori in the small clearing. There were things he needed to do, steps he should have taken but was too shocked to even think about. Seven weeks was long enough to flounder and Shane was ashamed of himself for not putting his CERT, or Community Emergency Response Team, training into action. 

Breaking through the tree line Shane checked the positions of everyone. The kids were finishing up breakfast while some of the women had started to clean up what they could. That fatass Ed Peletier was too busy leering at some of the women, mainly Amy, to be of any help and Shane made a mental note to keep a better eye on him. Even know the man stayed liquored up more than Shane had thought possible and he had noticed right away how skittish his wife and kid were around him. The Dixion’s were missing, but that was par for the course for them. The brothers always showed back up toward the evening with some kind of wild game that contributed to their share of the evening meal. It seemed that everyone was where he expected them to be, except for Glenn. The young man was usually hanging around wanting to be useful in some way and it wasn’t often that Shane found himself not tripping over him.

“Dale! Where Rhee at?” Shane hollard to the older man sitting for his turn at watch on top of the RV. Dale was a nosy bastard and there wasn’t much that escaped him, despite being closer to retirement age than middle age.

“Saw him talking with Lori before breakfast, after that I lost sight of him. Maybe Mrs. Peletier has seen him, he was headed toward the Peletier tent just a few minutes ago,” Dale answered back with a wave. Shane could head toward the Peletier tent or wait for Lori to pull herself together, neither was an option he wanted to take right then. It's keep till later then and with a sigh Shane headed to the tent he shared with Lori and Carl to get some sleep. As he took off his boots and got as comfortable as he could in the tent with the temperature just beginning to rise, Shane made another mental note to get a hold of his own tent. Until Lori could sort herself out he felt it was prudent to put some space between them.


End file.
